Upscale at a glance
Rating breakdown · 2.8 / 5
Pros and cons
What we like
- Static floors on Basic and Accelerated; generous 5%/10% on Basic
- Public payout feed with wallet addresses, USDT on TON, Base or BSC
- No consistency rule on standard evaluation accounts
- Sign in with Telegram, Google or a wallet; free API option from $10K
- News trading allowed and no per-trade cap
Watch out for
- Payouts capped per 14-day period, down to 15% of size at $200K
- Five profit days of 0.5% needed before every payout
- Markets "no KYC" but terms require passport and selfie to withdraw
- US residents excluded by the terms despite "no geographic restrictions"
- No legal entity published; Trustpilot rating withheld after fake reviews
Upscale challenge prices
| Model | Plan | Account | Fee | Per $10K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $5,000 | $69 | $138 |
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $10,000 | $119 | $119 |
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $25,000 | $249 | $99.6 |
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $50,000 | $399 | $79.8 |
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $100,000 | $799 | $79.9 |
| 2-step | Basic (crypto) | $200,000 | $1,399 | $69.95 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $5,000 | $79 | $158 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $10,000 | $129 | $129 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $25,000 | $259 | $103.6 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $50,000 | $459 | $91.8 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $100,000 | $899 | $89.9 |
| 1-step | Accelerated (crypto) | $200,000 | $1,499 | $74.95 |
| instant | Turbo (crypto) | $5,000 | $229 | $458 |
| instant | Turbo (crypto) | $10,000 | $449 | $449 |
| instant | Turbo (crypto) | $25,000 | $899 | $359.6 |
| instant | Turbo (crypto) | $50,000 | $1,499 | $299.8 |
| instant | Turbo (crypto) | $100,000 | $2,999 | $299.9 |
This Upscale review looks at a Telegram-first crypto prop firm that operates under Seychelles law, sells two-stage, one-stage and instant accounts, and pays 80% to 90% of simulated profit in USDT on TON, Base or BSC. Its trading rules are fairly relaxed. Its payout rules and its marketing are where the problems lie.
What Upscale is and who runs it
Upscale's terms, last updated 15 May 2026, name only "Upscale Trade". No company name or registration number appears anywhere on the site. The terms state the platform holds no licence and put disputes under Seychelles law with arbitration in Victoria. Its Trustpilot contact is in Seychelles, while one third-party reviewer records the United Arab Emirates and dates the firm to 2025.
The firm's rewards page reported 1,298 payouts, more than $3 million paid and a 21-hour average on 29 September 2026. Those are its own numbers. Trades are simulated and priced from the Stork and Pyth oracles plus an in-house index rather than any exchange. You trade in a TradingView-based web terminal, a Telegram mini-app or a Base app, and sign in with Telegram, Google or a wallet.
How the challenge works
| Route | Stages | Target | Daily limit | Max loss | Floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2 | 5%, then 8% | 5% | 10% | Static |
| Accelerated | 1 | 10% | 3% | 6% | Static |
| Turbo | none | none | none | 6% | Trailing |
On the $200,000 Basic account the maximum loss tightens to 8% on Stage 2 and funded. Only closed trades count toward targets, and there is no time limit on any stage. Each stage also needs profit days, a day on which the balance gains at least 0.5% of the starting balance: three on Stage 1 of Basic and on Accelerated, five on Stage 2 of Basic.
The rules that matter most
Drawdown
The daily limit is a percentage of the balance at 00:00 UTC, and it is checked including floating profit and loss. On a $10,000 Accelerated account that is $300 a day against a fixed $9,400 floor. Start a day at $10,400 and the day's floor is $10,088; the $9,400 line does not move.
Turbo has no daily limit, but its floor trails 6% below the highest balance. That same $10,400 high would drag the Turbo floor up to $9,776. After each payout the reference point resets to the new, lower balance. Our trailing vs static drawdown guide explains why that is harder to manage, and the drawdown calculator shows your exact levels.
Consistency, stop-loss, weekends and news
- Consistency: none on Basic or Accelerated. Turbo accounts, and any account with the API option switched on, carry a 30% single-day cap before payout. See the consistency rule.
- Stop-loss: not required, no per-trade cap, and no position-size limit within leverage.
- Weekends: crypto trades 24/7. Index positions opened in the Friday close window are force-closed.
- News: allowed.
- Hedging: within one account only.
- Bots: the API Trading option is currently free on accounts from $10,000, but cannot be switched off once enabled and adds the 30% rule plus a 60-second profit adjustment.
- Inactivity: accounts with no trades for 90 days are frozen.
Leverage is 5x on crypto (2x on Turbo), up to 100x on forex (30x Turbo) and 15x on US indices (5x Turbo). Fees are 0.008% per side on the evaluations and 0.06% on Turbo.
Costs and value per $10K
Crypto-category prices run from $69 (Basic $5,000) to $1,499 (Accelerated $200,000). Turbo costs $229 to $2,999 for $5,000 to $100,000. Each route is also sold in a cheaper RWA category and a dearer ALL category, which is why the firm advertises entry from $59.
Including one reset, Basic costs about $276 per $10,000 at $5K and falls to roughly $140 at $200K. Accelerated runs from $316 to about $150. The 90% split is a paid add-on at checkout. There is no published refund policy for traders. Compare prices on our cheapest crypto prop firms list.
Payouts
The split is 80%, or 90% with the add-on, paid in USDT on TON, Base or BSC. The first request opens 14 calendar days after funding and after five profit days, then once per 14-day period. The minimum is $1. Before every request the balance must be above the current iteration's starting balance with five more profit days logged.
Each request is capped by account size:
| Size | Cap per period |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $2,500 (50%) |
| $10,000 | $4,000 (40%) |
| $25,000 | $10,000 (40%) |
| $50,000 | $12,500 (25%) |
| $100,000 | $20,000 (20%) |
| $200,000 | $30,000 (15%) |
Since about 21 October 2026 each payout is also capped at the profit above the original starting balance. A $100,000 account sitting at $115,000 can withdraw $15,000, not $20,000. After a payout, a new iteration begins from the post-payout balance.
"No KYC" on the homepage is not the whole story. Section 6 of the terms requires a passport photo page and a live selfie before any withdrawal is processed.
The public feed shows USDT leaving the firm's wallets, which is better evidence than most firms give, but it cannot show refused requests. Read more in how crypto prop payouts work and our KYC guide.
Who can join
The FAQ claims no geographic restrictions. The terms say you must not be a US resident and exclude residents of countries under US, UK or EU embargo plus anyone on a sanctions list. The terms win, and they are enforced at the KYC check on your first withdrawal, which means an ineligible trader finds out only after paying and passing.
What changed recently
The one firm-side change in October 2026 was the new cap on each payout at profit above the starting balance. We also corrected our record on the API option, which is free rather than paid. Turbo sizes were extended to $100,000 in late September. See the rule change log.
Who it suits and who should avoid it
Suits: crypto traders comfortable with Telegram-based tools who want a public payout record, static floors on Basic, and no consistency rule on standard accounts.
Avoid if: you are a US resident, you want to withdraw large wins in one go from a big account, or you need a named legal entity behind your contract.
Upscale review verdict
Upscale is a legitimate, operating firm with dated terms and a payout feed that shows real wallet transfers. Against that, it publishes no legal entity, its Trustpilot rating is withheld after fake reviews were removed, and its FAQ contradicts its terms on both KYC and US access. The payout caps make large accounts less valuable than their price suggests. Our score is 55: the rules score well, but cost and transparency pull it down. Funded traders can hold several accounts, up to $400,000 combined on Basic and Accelerated plus $100,000 on Turbo, and some breached funded accounts can be restored for a fee within 48 hours, which softens the blow of a bad day. For uncapped on-demand payouts, look at Propr or Velotrade.
Frequently asked questions
Does Upscale require KYC?
Yes, before withdrawals. The FAQ says no KYC, but section 6 of the terms requires a passport photo page and a live selfie before a payout is processed.
Can US traders use Upscale?
No. Section 1 of the terms requires that you are not a US resident, despite the FAQ saying there are no geographic restrictions.
How are Upscale payouts paid?
In USDT on TON, Base or BSC, once per 14-day period after five profit days, capped by account size and by profit above the starting balance.
Is the Upscale drawdown static?
On Basic and Accelerated, yes. Turbo uses a 6% floor that trails the highest balance and resets after each payout.
Is Upscale on-chain?
Only its payouts are. Trading is simulated and priced from Stork and Pyth oracles; USDT payouts are visible in a public feed with wallet addresses.